Blog Archives

“Shocking the model” John McCrystal

Posted on June 9, 2015 by NZ Books

Five Minutes Alone
Paul Cleave
Penguin, $38.00,
ISBN 9780143572312

The Legend of Winstone Blackhat
Tanya Moir
Vintage, $38.00,
ISBN 9781775537755

MiSTORY
Philip Temple
Font Publishing, $35.00,
ISBN 978047328204

You could argue that the artistic imagination is like one of those massively complex algorithms that scientists and economists use to search for patterns and rules in quotidian chaos. By constructing a simulacrum of reality and then tweaking the parameters – computer modellers call this “shocking the model” – they develop an understanding of the elasticity and sensitivity of the status quo to change. And by running a model forwards, they sometimes seek to construct a vision of the future, a probabilistic telling of our fortune.

Tagged with: Font Publishing, Issue 110, John McCrystal, Paul Cleave, Penguin, Philip Temple, Tanya Moir, Vintage, Winter 2015
Posted in Fiction, Literature, Review

Victims and villains, Bernard Carpinter

Posted on August 29, 2014 by NZ Books

Joe Victim
Paul Cleave
Penguin Books
ISBN 9780143570424

Drowning City
Ben Atkins
Vintage
ISBN 9781775535522

“The Christchurch Carver” is the name bestowed by the media upon Joe Middleton, the central character of Paul Cleave’s debut novel, The Cleaner. Joe is a serial rapist and killer of attractive young women and – a brave but successful move by Cleave – the narrator. Joe enjoys his criminal adventures, describing them with relish and flashes of dark humour. He also enjoys being smarter than all the cops, especially as he works as a cleaner at the police station, where he pretends to be retarded.

Tagged with: Ben Atkins, Bernard Carpinter, Issue 107, Paul Cleave, Penguin Books, Spring 2014, Vintage
Posted in Fiction, Literature, Review

The truth or else, Bernard Carpinter

Posted on December 1, 2012 by NZ Books

Collecting Cooper Paul Cleave Penguin Books, $35.00, ISBN 9780143568025 The Laughterhouse Paul Cleave Penguin Books, $38.00, ISBN 9780143568292 The Faceless Vanda Symon Penguin Books, $30.00, ISBN 9780143567202 By Any Means Ben Sanders HarperCollins, $24.99, ISBN 9781869508777 New Zealand crime fiction…

Tagged with: Ben Sanders, Bernard Carpinter, HarperCollins, Issue 100, Paul Cleave, Penguin Books, Summer 2012, Vanda Symon
Posted in Fiction, Literature, Review

The voice of the monster, Bernard Carpinter

Posted on June 1, 2010 by NZ Books

Blood Men Paul Cleave Black Swan, $36.99, ISBN 978869792718 Containment Vanda Symon Penguin Books, $28.00, ISBN 9780143202295 Cut and Run Alix Bosco Penguin Books, $37.00, ISBN 9780143011910 What Remains Behind Dorothy Fowler Black Swan, $29.99, ISBN 9781869792084 New Zealand’s reputation…

Tagged with: Alix Bosco, Bernard Carpinter, Black Swan, Dorothy Fowler, Issue 90, Paul Cleave, Penguin Books, Vanda Symon, Winter 2010
Posted in Fiction, Literature, Review

Murder most foul, Bernard Carpinter

Posted on December 1, 2008 by NZ Books

Cemetery Lake Paul Cleave Random House, $34.99, ISBN 9781869418908 The Ringmaster Vanda Symon Penguin Books, $28.00, ISBN 9780143008347 The Devils Are Here Cam Stokes Cape Catley, $29.99, ISBN 9781877340192 Christ Clone David McLeod Random House, $35.99, ISBN 9781869419592 Christchurch is…

Tagged with: Bernard Carpinter, Cam Stokes, Cape Catley, David McLeod, Issue 84, Paul Cleave, Penguin Books, Random House, Summer 2008, Vanda Symon
Posted in Fiction, Literature, Review

Coming of age for Kiwi baddies, Bernard Carpinter

Posted on December 1, 2007 by NZ Books

The Cleaner Paul Cleave Black Swan, $29.95, ISBN 9781869417604 The Killing Hour Paul Cleave Black Swan, $27.99, ISBN 9781869418663 Overkill Vanda Symon Penguin, $28.00, ISBN 9780143006657 From My Cold, Cold Hands David McGill Silver Owl Press, $34.99, ISBN 9780958245159 The…

Tagged with: Bernard Carpinter, Black Swan, David McGill, Fraser Books, Issue 80, P C Laird, Paul Cleave, Penguin, Silver Owl Press, Summer 2007, Vanda Symon
Posted in Fiction, Literature, Review